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curara pea, West Indian rattlebox

slender leaf rattlebox

Habit Herbs annual or short-lived perennial. Herbs annual or short-lived perennial.
Stems

suffrutescent basally, erect, 75–250 cm, strigose to strigillose, hairs tightly appressed.

erect, 70–250 cm, strigose.

Leaves

3-foliolate;

stipules absent;

leaflet blades elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic-oblanceolate, 40–100(–140) mm, length 3–4.5 times width, surfaces strigose abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

3-foliolate;

stipules absent;

leaflet blades linear to linear-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 50–130(–180) mm, length 7–10 times width, surfaces strigose abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

Racemes

10–50-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 10–40 cm;

bracts persistent, linear-subulate.

4–12-flowered, terminal or subterminal, 15–40 cm;

bracts persistent, linear-triangular, minute.

Flowers

calyx broadly cylindrical, basally truncate and deflexed against pedicel, 4–6 mm (length less than width), lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous or sparsely strigillose;

corolla yellow with prominent reddish lines, each wing with a purple spot at base, 12–15 mm.

calyx broadly cylindrical, truncate basally, 4–6 mm, lobes triangular, shiny-glabrous;

corolla pale yellow with prominent reddish purple lines, 18–20 mm.

Legumes

30–45 × 7–12 mm, sparsely to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.

straight, (40–)50–70 × (10–)15–20 mm, sparsely strigose or glabrescent.

2n

= 16.

Crotalaria trichotoma

Crotalaria ochroleuca

Phenology Flowering probably year-round. Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat Roadsides. Roadsides, ditches, prairie swales, sandy fields.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Central America (Nicaragua), South America (Argentina, Peru), Asia (China, Java, Sri Lanka, Sumatra), Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Brazil), Asia (China), Pacific Islands (Papua New Guinea), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the flora area, Crotalaria trichotoma has been found only in Miami-Dade County.

R. M. Polhill (1982) stated that Crotalaria trichotoma does not belong in the genus Crotalaria, without stating its placement elsewhere. In contrast, D. Isely (1998) observed that C. trichotoma resembles the common C. pallida in flower but that the latter has wider leaflets and caducous bracts; the similarity of C. trichotoma to many other crotalarias is confirmed here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Crotalaria ochroleuca has often been identified in the United States as C. intermedia Kotschy or C. brevidens Bentham var. intermedia (Kotschy) Polhill.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria
Sibling taxa
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
Synonyms C. usaramoensis, C. zanzibarica
Name authority Bojer: Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 4: 265. (1835) G. Don: Gen. Hist. 2: 138. (1832)
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